


Paint Outside the Lines

by Haelstrom



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Feelings, M/M, Rivals to Lovers, art school au, idiots to lovers, they paint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:28:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26184958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Haelstrom/pseuds/Haelstrom
Summary: They were permanently bench mates, as their last names had dictated, forever doomed to grace each other’s presence with wit and charm like the best of rivals were wont to do.orAll it takes is a few confusing confessions from Naruto at their senior art show to send Sasuke reeling and digging deeper into just what their rivalry means to him.
Relationships: Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 18
Kudos: 152
Collections: Extraordinary Naruto FanFics





	Paint Outside the Lines

**Author's Note:**

> Okeee so four-ish months of radio silence buttttt I'm back :) I have never been to art school, so please be forgiving about the details. This has been in my notes for a while and I took a break from the long fic I'm currently working on to finish it up.
> 
> Also big thank you (ily) to boringbrooke for beta reading and editing <33 you da bomb.com 
> 
> Happy reading!

Naruto’s brow was furrowed in concentration as he smeared paint across his canvas.He’d gotten to class early today, though the hours they were required to meet weren’t strict like they had been for the last three years.It was his last year of university.Everyone who was an art major had a big senior project due at the end of this year, and the painting he was working on was a part of it.

This particular piece had kept him up late last night, but he’d finally had a breakthrough.He’d come in as soon as he could to start working.There were always open classroom hours that were optional before the three they were required to meet.

His gaze flicked up to the clock at the front of the room and he realized the rest of his classmates would begin trickling in.

The college he attended was small enough that everyone within his major had started a portfolio development class together as freshman and continued until now. Which meant, Naruto thought as his eyes also flicked over the empty station beside him, his very favorite person would also be coming to class any minute.

Lucky him, he didn’t have to wait long.

Just as Naruto had started in with blue on his canvas, his focus was broken by the dark haired, pouty faced menace he’d dealt with for his entire stretch at uni: Sasuke Uchiha.

They were permanently bench mates, as their last names had dictated, forever doomed to grace each other’s presence with wit and charm like the best of rivals were wont to do.

Naruto didn’t bother looking over until he was needing to remix for a new color.Sasuke was still standing and situating his things, but aimed a scowl at Naruto when he snorted.

“Got something to say, Uzumaki?”

Naruto couldn’t help the amusement that wound through his tone.“No.”He purposely kept his eyes on his task, knowing that the disregard would rile Sasuke up more.

“Probably a good thing since I doubt you could come up with anything intelligent.”The bite in Sasuke’s voice was all too familiar.It was an attitude he wielded at Naruto without provocation and probably had something to do with their longstanding history of…ya know…kindness.

“Ahh of course, and who wouldn’t be jealous of the famed Sasuke Uchiha?A child prodigy so smart he knows how to mix _all_ the colors.”Naruto made sure his statement was theatrical as possible, all while making sure not to even glance to his right. “Too bad he has all that and still can’t seem to pick a pair of pants that fit.”

He knew it was stupid, to be 22 and have a rival for fucks sake, but their relationship had been argue on sight since their very first meeting.Every time he pressed the right button and was rewarded with an irritated growl, he felt as close to winning the lottery as he’d probably ever get.

“My pants fit fine,” Sasuke said, his teeth obviously clenched.

Naruto barely managed to reign in his smile when he finally looked over and made sure to linger over Sasuke’s pants.“Suuuure, you don’t even have room for your— oh _wait_ ,” he said, flicking his eyes up to lock their gazes, “that wouldn’t be a problem for you, huh?”

“ _Naruto_.”

He lost out on holding back his smile when Sasuke clenched his fists by his sides.“Don’t worry, Sas.A pretty boy like you will find someone who thinks size doesn’t matter.”Naruto made sure to poke his bottom lip out in pity as he walked by.Going to wash his brushes was a perfect excuse to prevent Sasuke from having the last word, though there was no doubt he’d find a way to get Naruto back later.

It wasn’t as if Sasuke could _really_ complain.Naruto was just rising to the occasion that he’d created after all, way back when they were innocent seeming freshmen.

Naruto had been so excited.He was halfway through his first week of classes, and everything had been going great.He’d made tons of friends thus far, but he was most excited for the portfolio class.He knew he’d get most of his in-class paint time done there, and he was hoping to be good friends with his bench mate.They’d be side by side for the next four years after all.

His excitement had led him to get to class early and get all his things set up just the way he liked: organized chaos.He’d been jittering in his seat when a broody, dark haired man breezed in and pulled out the seat beside him.Naruto had turned, his mouth opening to greet him when he’d been interrupted.

“Don’t touch my stuff and leave me alone when we’re painting,” Naruto’s face fell immediately, the words taking the wind from his sails, “actually just leave me alone period.”

He hadn’t even known what to say.He shut his mouth and turned back to the front, only managing to salvage some of his excitement when the teacher started class.

It wasn’t at all how he’d imagined their first meeting would go, and it definitely wasn’t the tone he wanted their whole relationship as bench mates to have.For their whole first couple weeks of sitting side by side for long stretches of time, Naruto tried to heed Sasuke’s request and be quiet and not bother him.

Right around the one month mark, though, he’d had a rough night, forgotten to set his alarm, and run out of his dorm with only half of his things.

“Hey, uh, Sasuke?Do you have a pencil I could borrow?”He hadn’t even wanted to ask, but he didn’t have a choice.

Sasuke glanced over out of the corner of his eye, “I thought I told you to leave me alone?”

Naruto felt the first curls of irritation in his stomach.He really didn’t think a pencil was that big of a deal, not that he thought he deserved Sasuke’s terrible attitude at all really.

“What kind of artist doesn’t always have a pencil anyway.”

Naruto sucked his teeth in irritation, “do you fucking have one or not? It’s not that big of a deal?Honestly just forget it.”Today was not the day for Sasuke to be a super douche.He was already not the brightest ray of sunshine, and Naruto was having an awful day.

He barely caught Sasuke’s eyes darting to his in surprise, like he couldn’t believe those words had come out of his mouth.But Naruto was too annoyed to care.He turned back to his station almost in a huff and started shuffling through for something else to start a sketch with.But only a few seconds later and Sasuke was standing right beside him, a pencil held out in his hand.

Naruto looked up at him then as he took it, the fight suddenly drained out of him, “thanks.”It wasn’t Sasuke’s fault he was having an off day, prissy jerk or not.He just wanted to go home.

“Try not to ask me again.” _Ah there it was._

All Naruto could do was shake his head, the laugh under his breath somewhere between disbelief and resignation.Sasuke was still Sasuke.

And Naruto was still Naruto.And that’s why in their very next class he had found himself pilfering Sasuke’s big bottle of black paint and hiding it at the very back of his desk cabinet.It was his most used color, since Sasuke had a thing for black and white paintings; Naruto knew there’s no way he wouldn’t miss it.It technically wasn’t stealing either, since he’d just moved it to another place in Sasuke’s station.The hardest part about it was managing not to look guilty when Sasuke finally came in.

He’d made himself look busy getting his own paints out, mixing colors, and choosing brushes.Not even five minutes of Sasuke being there, Naruto heard him sigh in frustration.A couple minutes later…

“Have you seen my black paint?”

Naruto crinkled his brows, as if Sasuke were interrupting his focus.“Why would I have seen it?”

“I don’t know.I always leave it in the same place and it’s gone.”

“Yeah, somehow I still remember you telling me not to touch it being the first words you ever spoke to me, so.”Naruto glanced at him, still making sure to seem disinterested, before going back to his work.It was a minute before Sasuke spoke again.

“Can I use some of yours?”

Sasuke’s words surprised him so much his eyes jerked back to his face.“What kind of artist doesn’t always have paint?” he said when he recovered.

He knew there was no way Sasuke wouldn’t remember saying almost the exact same thing to him the day before, just like he knew it would make him question Naruto’s innocence just the right amount.Not enough to justify asking again, if he knew where it was, but enough for the doubt to take root in his mind.Sasuke narrowed his eyes at him.Just as he was about to open his mouth and say something Naruto shoved his black paint under his nose.

“Here ya go.Oh and Sasuke?” he waited until dark eyes met his own, “try not to ask me again.”

And that’s how they’d started.At first, they got revenge with little pranks that neither of them could be sure _were_ actual pranks and gradually building to the openly shared rivalry that they had today.

Of course all their disagreements could be put on hold when they put on shows and events, but the second no one was around, the gloves came off.It had made for an interesting last four years, and Naruto couldn’t say he would trade it for anything.

Just as he made it back to their station, he heard someone say his name by their classroom door.

“Uh yeah?” He said, raising his hand so the woman standing there saw him.

“Hi!” she said after walking over, “my name is Maya, and I volunteer for the art magazine.I was wondering if I might be able to get a senior interview from you?”

“Oh uh,” Naruto was wholly unprepared for that to be what came out of her mouth, “yeah, of course.”

“Awesome, if you could just come with me then, it shouldn’t take you from your work for long.”

As soon as the woman, Maya, had finished speaking, Sasuke watched Naruto fumble over himself to answer.He could honestly say he felt an odd sort of peace over Naruto getting chosen for an interview.It was something they all kind of hoped for in the back of their minds.The College of Art and Design within their university had its own prestige and the magazine enjoyed some of the royalties of that.It was a well circulated print even to some alumni and it never hurt to get your name out there as an artist.Sasuke was sure they’d feature some of Naruto’s art along with his answers.

That thought prompted Sasuke to glance over at the unfinished piece Naruto had left on his easel when he’d walked out. 

As was always true with him, the whole canvas was a splash of varying colors.Naruto never shied away from vibrance or pushing the boundaries of realistic line work.It was something Sasuke never failed to tease him about, as an artist that much preferred shades of grey and a realistic painting style.Occasionally though, when he had moments like this one, to observe without being watched himself, he could admit the way Naruto’s art drew the eye; it just had…something special.

By the time Naruto was strolling back through the door to their classroom, Sasuke had half decided to say something congratulatory about being chosen for the interview, but of course, Naruto made sure to stick his tongue out, smug up to his ears, and gloat so—

“I can’t believe they chose you.I mean, half your work looks like a preschooler’s finger-paintings.”

Naruto scoffed, his look of offense almost comical, “you’re such a jerk, Sasuke.You’re obviously just mad she chose me instead of you.Like anyone would choose someone who’s only used five colors besides black and white in his entire life.”

“Hn,” was all he said, effectively ending a full blown argument before it could start.He guessed Naruto would never know what he actually thought and really, that was fine.

They were less than two months from the end of the year when their professor strolled in with plans a little different from their normal procedure.It must have been in an effort to give them a creativity break but either way.

“So everyone will be paired up with their bench mate.It’ll be a speed paint.Each of you will have an hour to try and capture the likeness of your partner and then a final half hour at the end to clean it up.”

At the end of their instructions, Sasuke glanced over to Naruto, making sure to look annoyed.

“Oh don’t look at me like that, Uchiha.I’m roped into this just as much as you.”

They kept up their banter all the way to the little courtyard outside their classroom until they both had all their things set up and were waiting for the start of their time.

“Okay, time starts in one minute. Oh, and as another surprise…you’ll be switching canvases with your partner at the end.”

Naruto’s startled eyes met his just as their professor called time.It was convenient Naruto was painting first, so Sasuke wouldn’t have to waste time waiting for him to control his expression.As it was, the time he had to spend sitting as a model gave him entirely too much freedom to think about what he’d do with a piece of Naruto’s work in his apartment.It wasn’t long before his mind veered off into ideas about how he would do his own speed paint and he was happily distracted by the time Naruto’s hour was over.

They switched places without issue, and Sasuke started straight with paint.Working loosely and with little planning wasn’t his usual style but he’d be damned if he let Naruto show him up.

Still, when their teacher called time for the end of Sasuke’s hour, he was surprised by how much he’d gotten done.He was suddenly eager to see how far Naruto had gotten too.

“Ready?” the blond said across from him.His fingers were holding his canvas around the edges, ready to turn it around for Sasuke to see.

Instead of answering he just flipped his painting and put it in Naruto’s line of sight.After a moment of silence, he peeked around to see what the problem was but Naruto finally spoke.

“Wow, Sasuke—you—that’s—” he still seemed unable to find words to say what he wanted, but Naruto was doing nothing to hide the admiration on his face.

“Well I’m glad you feel that way,” he said, “because it’s yours, you get to keep it.”He was sure he wasn’t doing an adequate job of hiding just how uncomfortable Naruto’s tiny amount of praise was making him.All he’d done was what their teacher had said to do, no big deal.

“You used orange,” Naruto continued, with a little lilt at the end of his sentence like he was asking a question.

Sasuke had some unrecognizable feeling tumbling in his stomach.“Well yeah. Orange is just…you.”

Naruto’s eyes immediately jerked to his, his mouth popped open the tiniest bit as if in awe.Sasuke hadn’t thought it was that big of a deal.Sure he rarely used color, especially more than just a splash as a focal point but Naruto seemed truly floored.All it did was twist his stomach further. 

“You gonna let me see mine then?”He had to deflect and move away from this situation.Something about it wasn’t sitting right with him and he wanted to avoid that feeling at all costs.

Naruto seemed to collect himself at Sasuke’s words and silently reached over to turn his canvas around.When he saw the way Naruto had painted him, he suddenly understood his reaction.He’d used blues and purples and black in quick accurate strokes.It made him seem aloof but coolly so, Sasuke’s painted expression screamed untouchable, but because he said so.

The way Naruto had managed to capture all that in an hour shocked him too, made him almost freeze up in wonder.Their eyes met, as Sasuke tried to find some appropriate way to express himself when their shared silence was interrupted.

“Okay, now everyone use the last half hour to clean up your work.Don’t forget, it’s not your wall it’ll be hanging on!” The singsong nature of their professor’s voice cut across the weird mood between them.

Naruto was moving to set the canvas back on his easel when Sasuke’s words flew out of his mouth.“Don’t change it!”Naruto turned back to him, almost as startled by the words as Sasuke himself.“Just—I want it like it is.There’s nothing for you to fix.”His recovery was lame, but it was all he could do.

“I want yours like it is too,” Naruto said.His voice was timid in a way it rarely was.It gave Sasuke a small amount of relief because at least he wasn’t alone in feeling whatever weird thing had just passed between them.

“Um Sasuke Uchiha?” He heard from over his shoulder, once again interrupting the odd kind of silence that had settled over them.It was Maya, the woman from the magazine.In that moment he could have sung her praises for giving him a reason to bolt out of there.Instead he cleaned up his stuff and threw a smirk back to Naruto before following her inside.He’d be getting his interview after all.

It was finally the end of the year and almost the end of their senior art show. It had been hours since they’d opened the doors to the public, and he’d already made conversation with some of the friends he’d made throughout school.

Each of the seniors had their own display though he’d avoided walking through anyone else’s section just yet.Just as he was thinking he might, a familiar flash of blond hair caught his eye.

Sasuke snorted as Naruto walked up, “you come to make fun of my art one last time?”

Naruto laughed in a defeated kind of way that caught Sasuke’s attention.He hadn’t spoken, but Sasuke could tell something was off.“Ah no, I just came to see it all actually.”

He was surprised at Naruto’s words, and he knew he wasn’t quite fast enough to stop himself before he reacted.“But you hate my art.”

“No,” there was that laugh again, “I just noticed you seemed to work better when you were pissed, so I found ways to make that happen.I really like your things, actually.”

Naruto may as well have dropped a bomb in Sasuke’s head.Obviously they didn’t _hate_ each other, and the things they said and the ways they acted were exaggerated to be funny but…Naruto said he actually… _liked_ Sasuke’s stuff.Not to mention that he’d paid enough attention to him to find out what motivated him and actually put that into practice.

Sasuke felt like someone had come and pulled the floor out from under him.

By the time he’d recovered, he made sure to walk straight to Naruto’s section.He looked at every piece, even though he was there through the creation of them all.At the end, he was surprised to be looking at a three piece feature he’d never seen before and only belatedly realized it was his face he was seeing.

He was still standing there, rooted to the spot when someone stopped just a little too close beside him, and when he looked over, there was Naruto with a resigned smile on his face.

“You didn’t ask to paint me,” is all he could think to say.

“I kinda did, but…I think you assumed I was joking.”

Sasuke vaguely remembered being asked if it was okay, but it’d been while they were in the heat of an argument, so he’d brushed it off.

“And that’s when I got the motivation to paint the one where you’re angry,” Naruto said, pointing to the one on the left.All three were of Sasuke in different colors and different moods.“I don’t know, Sasuke.I just—I’m not selling them if that’s what you're worried about.Sometimes you just have these strong emotions rolling off of you, but you show them in the most minute ways.It’s hard for me to resist.”

So many things ran through Sasuke’s head that he could say, but none of them managed to make their way to his mouth.He felt like he was having some kind of internal battle just to process Naruto’s words and the change in their dynamic that they implied.Naruto seemed content to let Sasuke’s answer be silent, but the blond was called away.

He didn’t know how long he stood there before someone else walked up beside him.

“Hey, you’re the one in the pictures!You guys are—close, right?He portrayed you so accurately, surely you’d have to be.”It was a man he didn’t know, a complete stranger that felt comfortable enough to ask about the nature of his and Naruto’s relationship.After everything that the night had been, he was somehow caught off guard again.

“No,” Sasuke said, not even able to hide his surprise.

“Oh!I’m sorry,” the man said, “it’s just—well he seems pretty in tune with your emotions, so I just thought—well—”

That was the last straw.Sasuke couldn’t mentally handle any more strange revelations from the people around him.He turned and walked from the man and his apologetic face, right back to his own section where he spent the remaining part of the night in a fog.

He hadn’t seen Naruto again after his little admission and for that, he was glad.

Now, he was walking home, and he still couldn’t seem to order his thoughts.He was thinking back through all the time they’d inevitably spent together and all the pranks and laughter he and Naruto had fit into that time.He thought about how they’d spent years spending more time with each other, sitting side by side, than anyone else Sasuke knew, how he’d learned just about all there was to learn about Naruto because of it.

It didn’t take long for him to see that maybe his hatred, the annoyance, and anger he felt was over the fact that he really couldn't hate Naruto at all.No matter how much he wanted to.He could never stop himself from admiring the blond when he did well, and how sometimes—the sun would strike him just right and he’d smile over and Sasuke would have to ignore the way his fingers itched for his sketch pad.No one but Naruto was able to get under his skin in such a way, and that already meant he was letting himself get more involved with the idiot than he was with anyone else.

By the time he was unlocking his front door, Sasuke had to force himself to put the thoughts aside.He was—it was _crazy_.He had to shake this off.No matter how much time they’d spent around each other, this would be the end of it.Both of them were graduating.They’d be moving on to wherever, finding jobs, and never looking back.

His insistence that he just stop thinking about it lasted until he was tucked under the covers of his bed.When he’d finished his bedtime routine and expected to just close his eyes and drift off, he was instead stuck with his thoughts.Ones that wouldn’t rest.

He really wouldn’t be seeing Naruto again.Like sure, maybe at graduation but not—not for real.Not like they’d spent the last four years of their life seeing each other.There’d be no more pranks, no more insults that were just a little too honest, no more smiles that lit up Naruto’s whole face or the way his eyes would gleam when he knew he was getting under Sasuke’s skin.He couldn’t help the funny flop of his stomach when he thought of never hearing Naruto’s voice again or his laughter filling the room.

His heart rate was picking up the more he thought about it, the more he played through the memories in his head.There was no way he was going to forget and go to sleep.

Just when he’d come to the realization, he felt the familiar tingle in his fingers, the urge to try and capture even the smallest essence of everything that was Naruto.So loud and animated and obnoxious.

For once, he didn’t shove the urge down.He flung the covers back on his bed and moved just a little too fast to his stack of blank canvases.In no time, he had one set up, his brush in hand, frantically dragging harsh lines across the surface.For the first time, he was caving to the inspiration Naruto always seemed to light in him.It burst through like a broken dam, held back for far too long.He painted for minutes, hours, he had no idea.It only felt finished when he’d caught the near permanent glint of mischief in Naruto’s eye.But he still couldn’t get the images out of his head.

He’d started and now he couldn’t stop.He painted another one with a smile so warm it seemed to come off the canvas and he could hear the ridiculous laugh he never held back when he was pissing Sasuke off.He painted the serious look he caught by accident sometimes when Naruto would quickly glance away. 

Sasuke was addicted.

He stayed up all night, painting the man he’d thought he hated, purging himself of feelings too long tucked away and ignored.When he was finally, truly done and set his brush down, he felt hollow, wrung out and yet somehow still full of unrest.The dregs of adrenaline were making his stomach feel like the sea before a storm. 

He was looking around, his gaze roaming the room, directionless and seeking some kind of answer, when Naruto’s own name caught his eye.

It was the magazine with his interview in it.Sasuke had been using the pages as scratch paper like some form of retribution for getting chosen before him, but he grabbed for it wildly, flipping through the pages to see if he’d torn it out yet.When he found the interview section untouched, relief washed through him.He skimmed the words, not knowing what he was even looking for until he got to the last question.

 _Who’s an artist you look up to?_

Reading through Naruto’s answer, the wind was knocked out of him.

_I feel like people probably always say someone well known and great, but if I’m being honest, I have to say Sasuke Uchiha, my partner in class.Being around him motivates me and I feel like being able to witness him and his art makes me better._

That was it. 

He had to do something. 

He couldn’t let the emotions keep building up inside him.Everything from the last twelve hours felt like some kind of trippy nightmare and it was all coming to a head.He had to see Naruto.

And that’s how he found himself not even an hour later, at Naruto’s door, mad that he even knew where it was.He was just thinking that he didn’t even know what he was going to say when the door pulled open and interrupted his thoughts.

Sasuke knew he had to look a mess.Disheveled, covered in paint, probably a half crazed look in his eye.Naruto perused his appearance once and stepped back from the door.He left it open for him to come through before just walking away.Sasuke hesitated for a second before he closed the door and followed him.

He found Naruto in his kitchen, leaning against the counter, a coffee pot humming behind him.

“You figured it out, huh?” he said, after a long moment of silence.

“I—” Sasuke immediately lost track of the speech he’d been writing in his head, “figured out what?”

“You know what,” Naruto said, turning to pour coffee into his cup, irritatingly nonchalant.

“ _Naruto.”_ The way he said it was enough to have the blond turning back around to look at him.“I think—I think I have feelings for you.”Sasuke was so keyed up.His hands were restless at his sides.He had an urge to just reach out and touch Naruto, to be in contact with him somehow.It had to be the months or maybe even years of pent up feelings he’d misidentified screaming to be heard all at once.

And Naruto was still— “So yeah.You did figure it out.I was wondering if you ever would.”

He was at a loss.“Ever…would?You knew?”

“Sasuke, I’ve been drawn to you since you strolled straight to the station beside mine and demanded I not touch your things or get in your way before we’d ever even spoken.I loved you not long after that.

Sasuke felt like a bomb went off in his chest.Naruto.He said— _love_.How was he even supposed to process that?This was too much and too fast and Naruto was just going about his morning as usual.Collected.Calm.“Yeah I’ve known for a while I guess,” Naruto continued in his silence.

“You weren’t planning on telling me?”It was all Sasuke could come up with, his brain not quite back online.

“Um, no, actually.I had hope for a while, you know, and then last night—I was convinced it was just me.You always brought the creativity out of me, and I knew I did the same for you, but I just had to accept that it was only because your anger and your passion are intertwined.”

“You do.You do make me mad.I just finally realized anger is the tip of the iceberg with you.A decoy even.And if you think it’s tied to my passion, well—maybe you’re not wrong.”

Naruto looked up at him then, his gaze steady, almost searching, “yeah?”

It was a heavy word, weighed down by so many questions left unasked.Sasuke knew the answer to all of them.

“Yeah,” Sasuke said.A little breathless, maybe a little eager.

In the next moment, Naruto had stepped forward into his space and threaded his fingers in Sasuke’s hair, pulling their faces closer.He paused, his breath ghosting over Sasuke’s parted lips, just long enough for him to say no if he wanted. When he did nothing but look up into startlingly blue eyes, his own undoubtedly dilated in anticipation, Naruto tightened his hand and fused their mouths together.

Sasuke barely managed to hold back a groan.His hands immediately sought contact with Naruto’s skin, questing over the smooth ridges of his stomach and then stilling just before the low riding waistband of his pajama pants.Only the tiniest part of his mind was available to appreciate that Naruto slept shirtless.The rest was absorbed in the feeling of _finally_ , the relief at no longer having to fight something he’d obviously wanted for a long time.

Neither of them backed away, just delved deeper into the kiss, tilting their heads and tangling their tongues. 

Only when they finally needed room to breathe, did they separate and it wasn't very far.Just enough so they could look into each other’s eyes, both of them breathing heavy in the space between them.

“I painted you,” Sasuke whispered into the silence, as if it were a perfectly logical continuation of their conversation.

“Yeah?” Naruto asked, his tone indulgent.He leaned forward and kissed him again as if he couldn’t resist, his lips soft and lingering.

“A lot.”

“Like…?”Naruto’s hand had dropped from his hair to rub circles into the skin at the nape of his neck.

“I stayed up all night, couldn’t sleep.”

“Wait,” he said, backing away so he could really look at Sasuke.The grin hinting at the corners of his mouth was enough to tell him what was coming.“You couldn’t sleep so you stayed up all night painting me? And then— _oh._ Now you’re here.”Naruto lost the battle against the smile and Sasuke almost rolled his eyes.

“Don’t get cocky.”

“I paint you all the time.”

“You— _what?”_

“What can I say?You’re my muse.”Naruto was full on smiling now, smug up to his ears for some reason Sasuke couldn’t ascertain.He was too content to care, finally free of that harried feeling in his chest.He felt at ease in a way he hadn’t for a long time.“But you wanna know a secret?” Naruto whispered, leaning close to Sasuke again.

“Hn?”

“I like it when you wear those tight pants.”

**Author's Note:**

> Sooo I hope you enjoyed reading! Also for anyone still hanging on and following me, I really am working on another canon-verse fic....hopefully posted soon :)


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